AMAZING LOVE MISSION's video: SHOULD WOMEN BE PASTORS

The relationship between a husband as head of his wife is comparable to Christ as Head of the Church. A common explanation of Paul's instruction forbidding women to be pastors is that Paul only restricted the women of Ephesus from teaching because women were the authority in the worship of Artemis. However Paul nowhere mentions Artemis worship as a reason for the restrictions but, in fact, the true context is given as being God's headship and order in Creation. Paul then refers back to the book of Genesis to make the point. Another common objection is that Paul is only referring to husbands and wives, not men and women in general. The Greek words in the passage could refer to husbands and wives; However, the basic meaning of the words refers to men and women. Further, the same Greek words are used in verses 8-10. Are only husbands to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger and disputing (verse 8)? Are only wives to dress modestly, have good deeds, and worship God (verses 9-10)? Of course not. Verses 8-10 clearly refer to all men and women, not only husbands and wives. There is nothing in the context that would indicate a switch to husbands and wives in verses 11-14. Priscilla and Phoebe are often cited as examples of female pastors, mostly erroneously. Priscilla is cited because her name is mentioned before that of her husband, Aquila. Proponents of this view usually only note that Paul puts her first, and fail to mention that in the six references to Priscilla and Aquila, Pricilla is put first three times, and Aquila is also put first three times thus negating this argument. Phoebe is subjected to extreme tautology over the interpretation of the word servant. Where there may be doubt over the interpretation of a word, we must look at the overall purpose of God to get a true picture, and the law of "first mention" applies. In stating that he would not suffer a woman to teach or have authority over a man, Paul refers to the book of Genesis (Law of first mention) The authority of women in the Old Testament is not relevant to the issue. The book of 1 Timothy and the other Pastoral Epistles present a new paradigm for the church—the body of Christ—and that paradigm involves the authority structure for the church, not for the nation of Israel or any other Old Testament entity. The structure of 1Tim 2:11-14 makes the "reason" perfectly clear. Verse 13 begins with "for" and gives the "cause" of Paul's statement in verses 11-12. Why should women not teach or have authority over men? Because "Adam was created first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived." God created Adam first and then created Eve to be a "helper" for Adam. This order of creation has universal application in the family (Eph 5:22-33) and the church. The fact that Eve was deceived is also given as a reason for women not serving as pastors or having spiritual authority over men. This leads some to believe that women should not teach because they are more easily deceived. That concept is debatable and probably erroneous. (If women are more easily deceived, why should they be allowed to teach children (who are easily deceived) and other women (who are supposedly more easily deceived)? That is not what the text says. Women are not to teach men or have spiritual authority over men because, as Paul says, Eve was deceived. As a result, God has given men the primary teaching authority in the church. Many women excel in gifts of prophecy, hospitality, mercy, teaching, evangelism, and helps. Much of the ministry of the local church depends on women. Women in the church are not restricted from public praying or prophesying (1 Cor 11:5), only from having spiritual teaching authority over men. The Bible nowhere restricts women from exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12). Women, just as much as men, are called to minister to others, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), and to proclaim the gospel to the lost. Yes, men and women are equal in God’s eyes in that both men and women are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). Men and women have different roles in the home and in the church, but different roles do not indicate differing worth. A screwdriver has a different role in the carpenter’s shop than a hammer, but that doesn’t mean one tool is more valuable than the other. The roles of men and women are divinely designed to be complementary. Amazing Love Mission was established in 2020 in Auckland, NZ. Our primary objective is to assist believers in fulfilling the Great Commission, which was entrusted to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. https://amazinglove.co.nz/